Sometimes it seems easier to focus on what’s going wrong than what’s going right, and that makes it easy for managers to overlook employee recognition. An action that is recognized is more likely to get repeated by an employee, which can create good habits or bad. If you focus on the positive, good habits should follow. Employee recognition is more important than you may think. According to Human Resources Today, 65% of employees report they don’t feel recognized at work. And lack of recognition just happens to be the number one reason why employees quit.

Employee recognition is a simple and inexpensive way to increase and maintain employee engagement, but it needs to be meaningful in order for it to be effective. Recognition should be reserved for job performance that goes above and beyond an employee’s normal duties, behaviors that reflect the organizations mission and/or values, exceeds customer or client expectations, and employment milestones.

In addition to increased employee engagement, employee recognition activities attract and retain talent, decrease turnover, maintain a positive work environment and boost motivation and productivity.

Besides recognition being meaningful from the employer’s perspective, it has to be meaningful to the employee. Individuals value recognition in different ways: one person may like public recognition, while another employee may prefer private acknowledgement. Know what the person prefers and deliver recognition accordingly.

Employee recognition also extends beyond the company benefits and the individual employee: It creates pride in management and it may inspire others to go above and beyond. If your company could use some assistance with your employee recognition program or activities, contact The Employer Group!